Dana White confirms Conor McGregor will get lightweight title shot with win at UFC 246

UFC president Dana White confirmed that Conor McGregor will get the next lightweight title shot should he defeat Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 this weekend.

The UFC lightweight title is on the line in April when champion Khabib Nurmagomedov takes on challenger Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. According to White now, McGregor will fight the winner of that contest should he defeat Cerrone, a decision that is sure to draw the ire of fans and media who don’t believe McGregor should be in the title picture ahead of Justin Gaethje.

Here’s what White told Jim Rome about McGregor getting the next lightweight title shot (h/t MMAFighting.com).

“He gets what he’s been waiting for. He gets what he’s been asking for. He has been chomping at the bit for the Khabib rematch. I think it’s no big secret,” White said.

“If he wins this weekend, he will get that shot at the title and it will be the biggest pay-per-view ever in UFC history.”

McGregor has been looking forward to a rematch with Nurmagomedov after he was submitted back at UFC 229 in October 2018. That was actually the last time McGregor stepped into the Octagon, until this weekend when he fights Cerrone at UFC 246.

However, while McGregor has been out on the sidelines, Gaethje has emerged as a legitimate title contender after finishing Cerrone, Edson Barboza and James Vick in his last three fights. This week, though, White said that Gaethje wasn’t in the running for the next title shot, despite the fans wanting him to be next in line.

Instead, it looks like it’s McGregor’s title shot to lose. All he has to do now is go out there and beat Cerrone at UFC 246, and the next lightweight title shot is his.

Do you agree with Dana White’s decision to give Conor McGregor a title shot against the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 1/17/2020.